Today, as a part of our Behind the Seams with A.K. Rikk’s series, we would like to introduce you to the latest addition to our team of Personal Shoppers, Brie Stoner. We are thrilled to introduce clients to Brie’s warm personality that’s very contagious. Authenticity is really important to her and it’s what she loves most about styling. She’s ready to help people really express themselves in a way that is unique, creative and sincere.
What initially drew you to A.K. Rikk's?
A.K. Rikk’s has long held the esteemed reputation of being Grand Rapids’ best destination for high end and luxury fashion lines but honestly what drew me to the company was its values and how committed the team is to embodying those core values by serving our city through excellence in retail service by creating meaningful relationships and providing unforgettable experiences.
What is your favorite part of working at A.K. Rikk's so far?
I really enjoy the personal connection with our clients. Many of our clients come in because they have events to prepare for and let’s be honest, shopping can be overwhelming and stressful sometimes. Being able to go above and beyond in serving the needs of our clients and help them find what they are looking for while ensuring they are able to relax, have fun and have a pleasurable experience is just really life giving to me.
What have you learned this week at work?
I can be super driven, focused and ambitious and there was a moment in the midst of a busy afternoon when a colleague offered me exactly the prompt I needed: “slow down.” Slowing down is so core to my own personal value of wanting to live from the care and attention of embodied presence so I needed that reminder to bring that value into my work too even when we’re in the middle of an event!
What is your favorite brand at A.K. Rikk’s?
Ralph Lauren! I don’t think it gets any better than being able to touch, try and wear this iconic American designer’s exquisite textiles, cuts and impeccable vision. It’s funny because I still don’t feel American even after having now lived here longer than my childhood abroad but there’s something about his incredible knack for combining Americana, rock and roll and timelessness that just evokes an archetypal glamour that is irresistible. His world is a movie I want to star in.
Did you go to school for fashion or do you just come by it naturally?
I got started in styling in 2001, working in retail for a high end clothing and home goods store called Ripe. Over the next 4 years I quickly moved up into buying and learning the ins and outs of the fashion industry. After that I moved to Los Angeles where I worked as a stylist at a high end vintage boutique selling Gucci, Pucci, Halston and Yves Saint Laurent and worked directly with celebrity clients and TV and film studios. I learned the rich history of some of these iconic lines and especially learned how to pull outfits quickly for celebrity clients. It was wild but a lot of fun to style clients like Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie, Rachel Bilson and Kirsten Dunst to name a few. Learning how to serve celebrity clients was a whole art form unto itself!
When I returned from LA I picked back up my buying responsibilities at Black Lamb in Grand Rapids where we worked with lines like Moncler, Nanushka, Phillip Lim, BCBG and Jill Sander as well as home brands and skin care lines. Over the last 10 years my love of fashion and styling has evolved hand in hand with my music career, so I’ve been able to apply my styling not only to fellow friends and musician clients in the industry but to myself as well in styling every single photo shoot and music video.
What was your first fashionable memory or a memory that stuck with you and formed your opinion of or love for all things style, design and fashion?
I grew up in Madrid, Spain and the culture of that city is inextricable from its sartorial sensibility. In the late Saturday afternoons at The Retiro (our Central Park) entire families will stroll slowly by dressed in their finest. It’s a standard of assumed excellence and intentionality in how you present yourself. At night it is presumed that you change to dress for dinner and my God it’s just not how people dress in the states. You won’t see women in jeans past 8 pm. Men don’t show up in t-shirts or open athletic footwear. That would be considered so distasteful and offensive. New Year’s Eve is the epitome of old world glamour in Madrid, where women are all in gowns, opera gloves and furs. I miss the enchantment of that level of culture!
What is your power color, meaning, what color do you wear most or gravitate towards or seem to feel the best in?
Red! I love red. It reminds me of Spain but it also probably has something to do with my rebellious allergy to my religious, conservative childhood. I always feel most sexy, unapologetic and confident in red.
What would be your spirit animal?
A jaguar or some other feline.
You have to sing karaoke. What song do you pick?
“Under Pressure” by Bowie/Queen. It’s my song. Forever. Period. Fin.
Any new creative endeavors you’re working on?
This fall feels like an embarrassment of riches in terms of releasing things I’ve been working on for a long time as a musician, artist and author.
October 3rd is my first art gallery opening at The Pursuit of Happiness. My first collection is titled “Unknowing,” and it’s a mixed media (acrylic and plaster on canvas) exploration of my femininity, eroticism and creativity. It will be up through November 3rd.
My new EP “Like A Man” comes out October 11 and features four songs, two of which are previewed on my next album which will be out June 2025. The EP is available to pre-save or pre-order digitally, in CD and vinyl wherever you buy your music.
My book Turned On: A Creative’s Guide to Awakening Presence, Pleasure and Possibility comes out on Broadleaf Jan 7 but is available now to pre-order. In it I redefine the erotic, stating that it is more than just human intimacy. It can be the antidote to feeling anxious, disconnected and uninspired. By reframing Eros as the energy of life and creativity itself, I want to invite us to reawaken presence, playfulness and possibility as the gateways to transformation.
For all things Brie, check out her Instagram @briestoner